Fort Leavenworth, April 13, 1961 — thunder rolled across the Kansas sky as Private John A. Bennett became the last soldier ever executed by the U.S. military.

Convicted of raping an 11-year-old Austrian girl, Bennett’s case raised hard questions about justice, race, mental health, and mercy within America’s armed forces. He confessed to the assault, was tried by court-martial, and hanged at Fort Leavenworth — yet controversy still follows his story decades later.

In this Bonus episode of Deadly Truths: Season 2 — Halloween in the Big House, host Becca Clark revisits Bennett’s early life, the crime in Austria, the military trial, and the storm-soaked night of his execution. We’ll examine what happened, why it ended the era of military hangings, and how unequal justice shaped the outcome.

📚 Resources:

• ExecutedToday.com: “1961: John A. Bennett, the last American military execution (so far)”

• Los Angeles Times: “The Last Soldier to Die at Leavenworth”

• Time Magazine: “The Soldier Who Was the Last to Be Executed by the U.S. Military”

• Death Penalty Information Center: The Death Penalty in the U.S. Military

• U.S. Court of Appeals (10th Circuit), Bennett v. Davis, 267 F.2d 15 (1959)

• Menninger Foundation Archives, Topeka, Kansas

• ⚠️ Disclaimer:

  This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, racial injustice, and capital punishment. Listener discretion is strongly advised. All information is sourced from verified public records, historical archives, and journalistic reports.

  If this story moved you, please follow, rate, and share Deadly Truths on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
  Your support helps independent storytelling thrive — and keeps history’s darkest truths from being forgotten.